English Chess Forum

I hope the e2e4 type format events do continue in some form, but if Sean feels he needs a break, thats perfectly uinderstandable.
Making these things pay is a tricky business, and maybe they held too many of these in recent times. Chess overload can happen. In these times of economic difficulties, many folk are watching those pennies carefully.
However, its for Sean or others to assess things and determine what they can offer.

One observarsion I`d make about chess ventures in general....quite a lot seem to be almost `one man bands`, run on a shoe string. Its true of clubs and leagues and also various Congresses, where certain personalities hold things together, then one day decide to call time....and things can just vanish.
Strong support and backup is important...

Peter D Williams wrote:

Barry Sandercock wrote:It would be nice if the e2e4 website could be updated. It doesn't seem very sensible to still be inviting people to enter for the Whitsun Congress.

It would not take Sean very long at all to update the e2 e4 website and explain why he appears not to want to run any more events.This would be the best way to tell many people what was going on future plans etc

Well its time to listen to Radio 4

I believe he alluded very strongly to packing in the e2e4 venture last year after the Gatwick disaster when he had to cancel the event 24 hours before it was due to take place.
If he has decided to pack it in, I would advise that he seeks offers from other organisers to buy the e2e4 venture and website etc...it must have a nominal cash value?....could be £50... could be £500?
like anything once interest wanes the value will decrease and regretably it will soon be forgotton about.
The main advantage that I saw was that the entry costs were lower for players. (Then again that may have been its downfall as the business model hardly seemed viable to me) A loss to uk chess for sure.

Martin Crichton wrote: The main advantage that I saw was that the entry costs were lower for players.

If anything entry fees were a bit higher than a normal Open. What was cheap usually was the accommodation deal. As I understand it, if you told a hotel that you could offer a decent number of paying bookings usually over a weekend, they could let you have not just the bookings at a cut price, but might also throw in the odd additional bedroom and the playing area at little or no extra cost. So provided there were sufficient entries to cover the prize funds and the costs of the invited GMs everything would balance out. From the hotel's viewpoint they would be satisfied if they got the expected number of bookings and turnover in the bar and restaurant.

With the accommodation low cost for the standard and the ease of booking, you got a road show of regular participants. I think also it attracted some tourists, players not from the UK who wanted to enter a British tournament but didn't quite know how and who appreciated the convenience of having their accommodation sorted as part of the entry.

David Pardoe wrote:
One observarsion I`d make about chess ventures in general....quite a lot seem to be almost `one man bands`, run on a shoe string. Its true of clubs and leagues and also various Congresses, where certain personalities hold things together, then one day decide to call time....and things can just vanish.
Strong support and backup is important...

Your be lucky to get strong support and backup in the chess world.

David Pardoe wrote:quite a lot seem to be almost `one man bands`, run on a shoe string. Its true of clubs and leagues and also various Congresses, where certain personalities hold things together, then one day decide to call time....and things can just vanish.
Strong support and backup is important...

vanish as mysteriously as they started? looks like Sean only recently ventured into the chess scene in 2003? no history before that.

10 years in chess ... maybe he has decided on a new hobby / interest?...

from the grading site

July 2014 166 X 160 D 166
160
Jan 2014 169 A 156 E 169
156
July 2013 166 X 166
Jan 2013 151 A 159 D 151
159
July 2012 164 X 159 D 164
159
Jan 2012 156 A 150 E 156
150
July 2011 158 A 150 E 158
150
July 2010 156 A 151 E 156
151
Jan 2010 151 D 151
July 2009 165 A 157 A 165
157
Jan 2009 139 X 139
July 2008 149 A 138 A 149
138
Jan 2008 129 A 129
July 2007 151 A 115 C 151
115
Jan 2007 114 C 114
July 2006 138 A 114 C 138
114
July 2005 127 A 126 A 127
126
July 2004 122 A 109 D 122
109
July 2003 119 D 119

You also need to note that Sean was heavily involved with his e2e4 teams in 4NCL..Added to that, he got stuck i nto politics with ECF, etc...then you also have the FIDE angle...more politics...and all sorts of crackpot rules to turn normal chess into zombie type shananagans that detract from the enjoyment for many players who probably feel red tape overload....
All this can do untold damage to ones sense of karma....

I disagreed with Sean Hewitt on a few things but I always admired the work he put into chess and the fact that he was one of relatively few organisers who could put on the professional front that chess so badly needs. Obviously there's a lot of speculation on the thread, much of it unhelpful. It may, as somebody suggested, be other commitments. If e2-e4 has ceased (and that's an IF pending further informations) then it's a sad day for English chess. From a personal point of view playing an e2-e4 event was on the `bucket list`. However mainly it should serve as reminder that there is too much negativity in English chess and this is what drives capable people away.

David Pardoe wrote:
I hope the e2e4 type format events do continue in some form,but if Sean feels he needs a break, thats perfectly understandable.

I quite agree, but it would have been nice if we had been told months ago before the last three Sunningdale Congresses were taken off his calendar.

Sean please continue your 4NCL team!!! we need the win.

KR

Grantham Sharks

Roger de Coverly wrote:

Paul Robson wrote:running events takes a considerable amount of time and effort .

Indeed it does, but if there is to be a hiatus for the next season at least, in e2e4 events, how about making a public announcement? Then at least local organisers can plan for an event without looking over their shoulders that e2e4 won't turn up in the same area on the same or adjacent weekends. Surrey Congresses (which is an organisation) got hit by that this year. They avoided their traditional Easter slot because of potential competition from the Sunningdale Open and parallel English Seniors and went for the end May Bank Holiday weekend instead, only to find another e2e4 Sunningdale event on their doorstep for that weekend as well.

In fairness, I seem to recall that the e2e4 event was already on their provisional calendar before Surrey chose the same weekend.

Roger de Coverly wrote: With the accommodation low cost for the standard and the ease of booking, you got a road show of regular participants. I think also it attracted some tourists, players not from the UK who wanted to enter a British tournament but didn't quite know how and who appreciated the convenience of having their accommodation sorted as part of the entry.

As one of the non-UK tourists, I have to agree. I played the Brighton 9-rounders (around February/March) from 2011-2013 and enjoyed them immensely. The fact that everything was booked through the website was a huge advantage. Also the fact that the accommodation and the playing venue were in the same place was brilliant! You could have a late breakfast (or skip breakfast if you'd been out the night before!) wander back up the room for a quick shower and then be in the playing hall five minutes later. No faffing around spending hours looking for cheap accommodation near the venue, finding something not too far away and spending ages walking back and forth from the tournament.

I think the problem is that organising events is a bit of a lose-lose situation. As an organiser, if everything goes well and there aren't any problems, people take that for granted and you get little to no thanks for the work put in. If on the other hand anything goes wrong, people generally aren't shy about complaining, to put it politely. I think unfortunately that's human nature, as as a fairly low-level organiser here in France (local events for local people!), I've noticed little in the way of thanks, but lots of moaning.

Now that I appreciate the work that goes into these events, I always make a point of thanking the organisers at the end of any tournament I participate in. It only takes a minute and means a lot to the people who give up a lot of their free time so that chess tournaments continue to live.

Whatever Sean's up to now, thanks very much for the e2e4 events, I enjoyed them and if you've decided to call it a day, best of luck with whatever it is you're doing now.

Niall Doran wrote:I always make a point of thanking the organisers at the end of any tournament I participate in. It only takes a minute and means a lot to the people who give up a lot of their free time so that chess tournaments continue to live.

I have to admit shamefacedly that I don't think I have ever done this.
I shall in future.
Thanks Niall

Michael Farthing wrote:

Niall Doran wrote:I always make a point of thanking the organisers at the end of any tournament I participate in. It only takes a minute and means a lot to the people who give up a lot of their free time so that chess tournaments continue to live.

I have to admit shamefacedly that I don't think I have ever done this.
I shall in future.
Thanks Niall

Good comment Nial on thanking organisers. I try to do this as much as possible, am guilty of withdrawing though or not being in a great mood if have a bad last round. But always try and thanks Oranisers. Takes a second and is appreciated I am sure.

I too loved all the e2e4 events. And thank Sean if this really is the end of them. Hope someone can take it on.

It is nice if people thank the organizers. It sometimes makes the difference between thinking you have wasted an entire weekend dealing with a bunch of morons and thinking "at least my efforts are appreciated". Even a cheery wave as the player disappears out of the door counts as a thank-you.

I don't care if people withdraw as long as they let me know before I have done the draw for the next round.

Surely it's high time the invitation for the Sunningdale Whitsun Congress came off the website !?